A renovation is a gift that keeps on giving. Not only does your own house benefit from the makeover, but your neighbours will appreciate the fact you have raised the value of their homes by rejuvenating your property. But read you contract carefully.
Consider the case of the house on Bannerman Avenue featured in this article.
Built around the turn of the last century, the home was dilapidated when it was renovated inside and out by an interior designer, though things didn't go exactly as planned.
"Sometimes, I feel as if I'm an unthanked saviour of old homes," said Rita Labossiere of Labossiere Divine Interiors in Winnipeg.
"When we gutted the interior of the 11/2-storey building, I don't think anything had been done to it since it was built more than a century ago."
She said the stairway was covered with carpet that had been glued in place with a product that resembled tar, while the old-style double-hung sash windows were so rotten, the glass was loose in the frames.
"My teenage daughter spent hours scraping the black gunk off the stairs and a contractor replaced windows throughout the house," said Labossiere.
The original full basement was in fairly good shape and an inspector certified the structure of the house was solid.
"The basement walls are insulated and drywalled, so it could be made into extra living space if a person desired," she said.
Some interior walls on the main floor were removed to make the kitchen, dining room and living room more accessible. Drywall was used to cover most of the original plaster-and-lathe wall covering.
A reinforced beam was installed to carry the weight of loading-bearing walls that were taken down.
"There was an ugly old porch hanging off the back of the house that we tore down and replaced with a new deck," she said.
An access door from the kitchen to the original porch was closed off and a window in the dining room that faced the backyard was removed and replaced with a French door leading to the deck.
"This gave me room to expand the kitchen, making it a more functional area by adding more cabinets," she said, adding some plumbing had to be rerouted.
The upstairs bathroom was updated with a modern vanity and a refurbished floor. A claw-foot bathtub was given an exterior facelift; the interior finish was in good shape, so the tub was left in place as a reminder of the home's history.
Baseboards, casings and mouldings were torn out of the two upstairs bedrooms, the carpet was replaced with new carpeting and the lathe-and-plaster walls (still in good condition) were painted with an ICI product Labossiere favours.
"It has a palette of warm colours that flatter traditional, transitional and modern furniture, flooring and accessories, she said, adding lights, switches and other electrical outlets were upgraded in the bedrooms and bathroom. The downstairs was stripped to the original plaster walls, including the original baseboards of eight-inch-wide hardwood that was too damaged to recycle.
"We had to rip sheets of MDF into eight-inch strips to replace the baseboards. The door trim and other mouldings were restored with an off-the-shelf, pre-primed product," she said, adding the pieces were painted white.
Most of the downstairs was covered with a vinyl-plank flooring that has a realistic wood figure, is water-resistant and ideal for high-traffic areas, she said.
She said the original glassed-in front porch was in "scary bad shape" and had to be removed. It was replaced with a reinforced floor and steps of treated lumber, including a white railing and balusters and three large posts to support the roof.
The outside of the house was covered with vinyl, as were the eavestroughs, fascia and soffits.
"I decided on a sand tone for the siding and white for the trim. The colours give the house a fresh look without making it look overstated," said Labossiere, who estimates she has put thousands of dollars of her personal money into the renovation.
She purchased the house because her unscrupulous contractor removed the equity from the home, leaving her out of pocket by about $50,000, the cost of her contribution to the renovation.
She hopes to recoup some of her reno outlay, plus the cost of buying the house by selling it in Winnipeg's reasonably bullish market.
"My advice to people who are considering a renovation is to ensure they do not sign an open-ended contract with a slick salesman. Firm prices for every part of the reno should be stated in writing in a legal document that guarantees the original price of the work will be the final cost, within reason.
"If people aren't sure what they are signing, then they should consult a lawyer."
She added that world of mouth is one of the best ways to find a trustworthy contractor.
"What I've learned is that dishonest manipulators do exist in the renovation business and I'll never do business with a contractor again until I've checked the details of the contract and the reputability of his organization," Labossiere said.
